So long as you’re willing to meticulously survey Hyrule like an archaeologist digging for fossils, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an engrossing sequel full of mysteries to solve and experiments to conduct. It’s a digital laboratory that I imagine will still be producing unbelievable discoveries 10 years from now.

Redfall makes concessions to work as a middling multiplayer game at the expense of a promising single-player experience.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor doesn’t reinvent the formula of Fallen Order and still suffers from some pacing and technical issues like that game did. Still, it’s one of the best single-player Star Wars experiences that I've ever played. The Empire may not be defeated by the end of Survivor, but I enjoyed exploring this beautiful galaxy and watching Cal open up along the way.

Teslagrad 2's momentum-based platforming makes for speedy fun, even if it doesn't quite have the same spark as its predecessor.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a light, but crowd-pleasing DLC chapter that sets the stage for Aloy's next adventure.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp doesn’t drastically change the core gameplay from the original, but it didn’t need to. Back in 2001, Advance Wars played beautifully. A simple concept paired with deep systems allowed the series to withstand the test of time -- something that’s even clearer with a modern Switch version. Playing Re-Boot Camp feels like revisiting an old friend and finding out their best qualities remained intact over the years. For those visiting for the first time on Switch, prepare for a new lifelong friendship.

I had as much fun here as I would have had watching a schlocky B-movie, but Dead Island 2 doesn’t do much to push the crowded (and dated) zombie genre forward. An underwhelming narrative and a general lack of creativity in mission design left me hungry for a more substantial meal. There’s a sharp-witted takedown of American privilege somewhere in Dead Island’s arsenal, an edge that was perhaps dulled down with age. For the series to survive another decade, it might need to hit the grindstone and craft a point that can actually pierce skin.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is an exhilarating action title that you don't need to be a League fan to enjoy.

Minecraft Legends does a great job at making the real-time strategy genre more approachable, even if its campaign gets repetitive.

Tron: Identity is a smart and respectful use of the classic series, turning it into a gripping sci-fi detective story.

Tchia pays tribute to New Caledonia with a gorgeous open-world game that takes the right notes from Breath of the Wild.

I’m thankful for the cosmic coincidence that put a Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remake just months apart from one another. Both projects show two valid, but completely different paths forward for game remakes. Dead Space just preserves the original, faithfully communicating what it was like playing it in 2008. As a counterpoint, Resident Evil 4 shows the value of careful reimagination. It isn’t just in conversation with the 2005 version, but with the two decades worth of games that sprung from it. It’s the past, present, and future of action-horror rolled up into an instant classic that stands side by side with its predecessor.

WWE 2K23 is another successful chapter in the wrestling series' comeback story, but the red flags of annualization are starting to appear already.

Bayonetta Origins tells a cute coming-of-age story about an initially powerless girl discovering herself. The game itself almost mirrors that, beginning with some simplistic, repetitive play but slowly evolving into something complex with its own distinct identity. It’s not just an origin story for Cereza, but for a new spinoff series with promising potential. The little witch we see in the game’s final moments isn’t the fully formed angel of death we meet in Bayonetta; there’s still some growing she needs to do to fully get there. Bayonetta Origins ends in the same place, leaving me excited to see where the adventure goes from here.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty lands in a happy medium for the Soulslike genre. It has enough mechanics to stand out from the typical FromSoftware disciple, but it's still familiar enough for veterans of the genre. It isn’t groundbreaking, but its difficulty and the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles still make for a fun (and frustrating) experience. Pair that with a thoughtful use of Chinese mythology that sets it apart from any other game on the market and you’ve got another strong Soulslike to bang your head against until FromSoftware unleashes its next epic.

"Potential" is the word I keep coming back to when playing through Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. I'm smitten with every piece of the package on its own merits, but I'm also left excited about what it could signal for the future of the series. There's a lot of room for Hal Laboratories to take the combo-based platforming of Magolor Epilogue or the progression systems of Merry Magoland and use them to innovate its next original Kirby game, whether it's 2D or not. This may be a blast from the past, but it's even more exciting when viewed as a peek at what's to come.

Horizon Call of the Mountain works as an impressive PSVR2 tech showcase, but overambitious ideas make it less appealing as an action-adventure game.

Like a Dragon: Ishin's timeless story and accessibility options make up for some of its outdated gameplay.

Octopath Traveler 2 builds on its predecessor's strengths to create another charming retro RPG.

Hogwarts Legacy delivers a perfectly competent adventure, but its most unforgivable curse is its lack of imagination. Despite having access to an entire universe of possibilities, its sole trick is using magic to cover up tired video game clichés that feel entirely disconnected from the vibrant source material it’s adapting. The only unique aspect it brings to the open-world genre is franchise branding, making for a shallow experience that doesn’t offer much more than wish fulfillment for fans unable to let go of a dream.

Whether you're a SpongeBob fan or just looking to get a new game for your kid, The Cosmic Shake is a solid choice.

Hi-Fi Rush cracks the rhythm-action genre wide open to deliver Tango Gameworks' most confident, stylish, and surprising project to date.

For anyone who’s yet to play one of gaming’s horror greats, the new take on Dead Space is a fairly definitive version of the experience. Its limb-carving combat and claustrophobic atmosphere still outclass its peers 15 years later, and that fact is only emphasized with some smart adjustments. If you’ve played the 2008 version to death, though, nothing here is likely to deepen your relationship with it. It’s a remake for remake’s sake.

Season: A Letter to the Future is a meditative indie adventure that rewards players who are willing to slow down and take it all in. Even when its written story wanders, its vibrant world and detailed sound design always speaks for itself.

I would recommend Forspoken to action and RPG fans, but I wish I could give them one of my save files with total open-world freedom and most of the traversal and combat spells unlocked from the jump. The adventure is at its weakest when it's forcing players to wade through lots of poor narrative content that takes too long to pay off. Its best beats aren’t paced or delivered well and serve as a weighty vambrace holding back this game’s true magic: a dazzling open-world game that truly does feel next-gen.

One Piece Odyssey isn’t the most perfect adventure, but it is a grand one that plays to its strengths. It sets out to be a journey that anyone can enjoy, and achieves it by embracing well-established formulas while adding its own flavor into the mix. While there are a few bad winds pushing the ship away from the harbor of being a perfect experience, this is an excellent addition to the JRPG genre and one that I think you should try out whether you’re a big One Piece fan or just an appreciator of JRPGs.

Rather than following up on 2018’s hit Fire Emblem: Three Houses by repeating its exact playbook, the new tactical RPG is a quick regroup for the long-running series. It looks to reinforce its core combat hook with new systems, like adding extra armor plating onto an ax-wielding knight. It may seem like a step back at a glance, but it's more a lateral move that ensures the series can safely fight its next battle.

High on Life takes the right design cues from Metroid Prime, though uneven comedy makes for a hit-and-miss adventure.

Though its core treasure-hunting loop is tedious, there's a lot of charm worth digging up in Dragon Quest Treasures.

Need for Speed Unbound is not trying to be an ultrarealistic simulator or even a super comprehensive open-world online racing game experience. It wants to be a stylish, tough, and rewarding ode to street racing culture. While it’s not the best in its genre due to some weak writing and eventual repetition, Need for Speed Unbound is a surprisingly entertaining racer in a year that hasn’t seen much racing game excitement since Gran Turismo 7.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion looks like a modern game, but its aged PSP gameplay doesn't match the HD overhaul.

Despite some cumbersome combat systems and performance issues, The Callisto Protocol successfully builds on Dead Space's legacy.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is as good of an RPG as it is a strategy game.

Gungrave G.O.R.E delivers on the run-and-gun, stylish action with a modern PS2-like coat of paint that you'll either love or hate.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a real step forward for a series that’s been locked in a holding pattern for well over a decade. The open-world pivot successfully reinvigorates a stale premise by giving trainers more control over the pace and difficulty of their journey. Like every recent Pokémon game, however, deteriorating tech and half-hearted experimentation still makes it feel like we’re five years away from the franchise’s true return to glory.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a real step forward for a series that’s been locked in a holding pattern for well over a decade. The open-world pivot successfully reinvigorates a stale premise by giving trainers more control over the pace and difficulty of their journey. Like every recent Pokémon game, however, deteriorating tech and half-hearted experimentation still makes it feel like we’re five years away from the franchise’s true return to glory.

Pentiment impresses with its amazing dialogue, intriguing themes, and gorgeous visuals.

A Little to the Left might be this year's most plesant game thanks to its cathartic organization puzzles.

While not outright broken like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) or Sonic Boom, Sonic Frontiers is a heavily misguided game that muffles good ideas with questionable narrative, technical, and gameplay design decisions. Sonic Team continues to demonstrate that it's not quite sure what to do with the blue blur, taking a wild swing with a game that tries to rival open-world games rather than double down on the strengths of newer titles like Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, or older successes like the Sonic Adventure series.

God of War Ragnarok is much bigger than its predecessor, though not inherently better. It’s more reminiscent of the jump between the original God of War in 2005 and God of War 2, offering a largely similar experience down to its plot beats. That larger scope makes for a messier story that loses some of the previous game’s intimacy, but the trade-off is even sharper combat that further establishes the franchise as the God of action games.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II doesn't quite live up to the heights set by the game it reboots, but it's still great for those just looking for some fun online shootouts.

Bayonetta 3 is the series’ wildest entry to date, mixing PlatinumGames’ knack for fast-paced combat with unbelievably entertaining set pieces that just get bigger and bigger. The massive scope of it all makes for some sloppy moments, both technically and narratively, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an action game that’s having as much fun as this one.

Living in the shadow of something greater is a recurring theme with Gotham Knights. Like its motley cast of heroes, the game sometimes struggles to live up to the expectations set upon it. None of Gotham’s heroes were ever going to be just like Batman, and Gotham Knights was never going to be just like Rocksteady’s Arkham games. Once I could accept that, I could see the game for what it is: a multiplayer superhero game with a creative narrative that plays it safe with gameplay, sometimes to its detriment.

New Tales from the Borderlands risked ruining this series by focusing on a completely different set of characters and not really following up its predecessor at all. Thankfully, Gearbox Montreal proved that the Borderlands universe is still full of unique and interesting stories to tell, whether it does so in a first-person shooter or narrative adventure game format.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a fantastic sequel on several counts. It improves on its predecessor in just about every way by finely tuning its stealth and navigation systems, adding more gameplay variety, and delivering a visually stunning world that puts games with much larger budgets to shame. Its weak spot comes down to its messy storytelling, which exposes the thematic limits of a medium that’s over reliant on violence as its primary form of interaction.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope shines thanks to its reworked tactics, which make way for some of the best turn economy I’ve seen in the genre to date. Though it doesn’t fix all of its predecessor’s issues, it's a worthy follow-up that ranks among the Nintendo Switch’s very best exclusives.

Scorn is in conversation with H. R. Giger’s art, but it’s playing a game of telephone. Despite nailing the aesthetic it's going for with excellent sound design and striking visuals, it struggles to deliver the same intimacy that makes Giger’s work so unsettling. Even when it does, Scorn’s artistic ambitions and its video game obligations are often at odds with one another. Ebb Software makes bold design decisions here to achieve the perfect atmosphere, but those decisions make for a frustrating shooter and first-person puzzle game that never quite feels fully formed.

Valkyrie Elysium delivers an average action experience that fails to revive a classic RPG series.

Gundam Evolution is a hero shooter that gives Gundam fans and new players a full product despite being free-to-play, though it's not without high item prices and tech quirks.

It’s the right level of strategy and team synergy for a micro-scale game like this.

Shovel Knight Dig punches above its spin-off weight class, even if its roguelike elements are a little modest.

The DioField Chronicle includes a lot of setup for potential sequels, but it does a solid job of laying down the proper foundation to make that work long-term.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero puts together a politically engaging story, fun gameplay, and likable heroes into one epic RPG.

Soulstice's terrible camera holds back an otherwise ambitious and inspired action game.

If Doom is a jam session that gives players space to improvise, Metal: Hellsinger is a high school recital. There’s only so far you can stray from the sheet music.

Splatoon 3 is a game that’s easy to take for granted. It’ll be tempting to write it off as another fun multiplayer game in a crowded sea -- and one that costs $60 more than some perfectly playable alternatives. But what the Switch exclusive does here should be the norm, not the exception. It’s a fully formed and carefully constructed game out the gate, rather than a good proof of concept that’ll live and die by the developer’s ability to keep up. It doesn’t build out its world after the fact through supplementary YouTube videos and it doesn’t need to pepper in references to other beloved media to manufacture entertainment. Everything you need to enjoy the experience is there on day one, not hiding in a development roadmap.

If you've played a game bySpiders, Steelrising is the same story. It's a game with lofty ambitions, aiming to compete with the best in the genre, but ultimately lacking the resources and polish to pull it off. I admire a studio stretching to push beyond its perceived ability, but working within limitations is crucial. If this is a path Spiders is truly committed to taking, I hope it can find its footing in its next project. The studio has loads of promise with its RPG experience and its ability to lay solid groundwork for action combat. But Steelrising feels more like a prototype than what the studio is truly capable of.

Rumbleverse's unique fusion of battle royale structure and fighting game depth is a great, though sometimes imperfect, match.

The Last of Us Part I shows that Naughty Dog’s gritty action game is still an enduring classic that hasn’t aged a day. Though that’s largely because Sony won’t allow it to, as evidenced by a mostly superfluous remake that doesn’t meaningfully improve on the game’s perfectly modern (and much cheaper) 2014 remaster. However, the project does once again push the industry forward in an important way: by raising the bar for accessibility in gaming’s past, present, and future.

Immortality is an astonishing work of interactive fiction that's every bit as unsettling and unforgettable as the films that inspired it.

Madden NFL 23 is an improved game when compared to Madden NFL 22, but that isn't enough to make it good.

Despite innovating in small ways, Saints Row is a safe open-world game. While that's perfectly fine for those looking for another sandbox adventure to sink time into, its quaintness feels antithetical to the series' wacky reputation. Saints Row is known for being loud, bombastic, and unconventional. So why am I mostly stuck doing tedious action and open-world checklist objectives? Volition wanted to get in touch with the series' roots, but after you've jumped the shark so many times and the industry has moved on, this reserved approach makes Saints Row feel like an antiquity.

Soul Hackers 2 innovates when it comes to RPG gameplay, but its story is a step down compared to Atlus' recent hits.

MultiVersus isn’t the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; it’s a beast of its own. If Player First Games and WB Games can maintain this game’s community with frequent, compelling updates and make the user experience a little more engaging, MultiVersus should have a bright future ahead of it.

Cult of the Lamb excels as a darkly comedic management game, though its roguelite component commits some cardinal sins.

Digimon Survive is a game that isn’t just for Digimon fans. It has a great story and hints of brilliance in the gameplay, but each person’s mileage may vary with this one. It may be best to wait for a price drop before picking up Digimon Survive if you’re on the fence.

Were I grading Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on story alone, it would be a 10 out of 10. If you get emotionally attached to characters, especially passionate ones who don’t want to hurt people and are just trying their best, then it’s a must-play. You just have to be ready for an action-RPG that isn't always the picture of elegance -- and be prepared to live with those quirks through a long, long adventure.

Live A Live is a high-effort remake from the presentation side, though the base game remains an uneven RPG experience.

Stray isn’t a furry gimmick that’s in it for the memes. Its cat-centric gameplay brings a fresh perspective to the adventure genre, putting an emphasis on curiosity-driven exploration. Some of its gameplay ideas feel limited and underutilized, but playful cat interactions make it a warm and fuzzy experience from start to finish. Come for its adorable furball hero, but stay for the socially conscious sci-fi story about how human beings are the architects of their own downfall.

With As Dusk Falls, Interior Night and Xbox Game Studios are testing the limits of what an interactive narrative adventure game can be. It's certainly odd for this to be one of the biggest Xbox exclusives of 2022, but it keenly demonstrates that there's still a lot that developers can do to innovate within a genre that seems limited at first glance.

Escape Academy is an endearing puzzle game that just wants to share the unique pleasure of escape rooms with everyone. Each well-designed level brings a set of clever logic puzzles that are always satisfying to solve, especially with a pal. It has a harder time bringing players a meaningful sense of failure, as the meaningless time limits suck the tension out of the room. Despite its struggles to nail down the energy of real-world escape rooms, it’s one of the most fun ways you can spend a Saturday gaming night this summer.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a valiant effort to merge together two niche genres but it feels a bit underwhelming. The premise of the titular Yurukill Games is interesting and the characters have compelling backstories but there needs to be more meat and narrative justifications for the shoot-em-up gameplay sections. Without spoiling anything, the game’s ending is indeed sequel bait. If this game’s shortcomings can be addressed in a follow-up, there’s definitely potential here.

While it would be accurate to call the game a spinoff of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, that’s selling it short; it’s a full-fledged sequel, just played in a different key. Three Hopes doesn’t have the series’ signature turn-based tactics, but just about everything else is there amid its flurry of Dynasty Warriors-sized action. With no expenses spared when it comes to the mainline series’ RPG hooks, developer Omega Force creates an action game that still makes players feel like a five-star general.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge isn't just a great Turtles game for nostalgic fans. It's a perfect retro-style beat 'em up that's eager to innovate.

Neon White takes some big swings with its card-shooter/platformer premise and fortunately doesn’t miss. Its execution-heavy action is wildly fast and fun, pushing players to complete complex demon-slaying gauntlets that pepper in exciting twists through the game’s last moments. Levels can feel disappointingly linear and longer stages can drag the momentum down, but the action is largely satisfying from start to finish. That would be enough to make this a worthwhile package, but its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on spirituality and strong late-game hooks make this a game worthy of divine judgment.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a must-play for both TMNT and beat-’em-up fans alike. It’s a game that takes what worked in the past, but still finds space to innovate beyond its fan service and nostalgia play. If you’ve ever felt like retro revivals can’t be much more than shallow nostalgia, Shredder’s Revenge will prove that there’s still more than enough room for an old genre to grow.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is the latest in a long line of potentially great Switch games let down by sparse launch content. Strikers Club makes for a compelling competitive hook, but there’s very little to do in its off-seasons right now. That’s a shame, because the core soccer experience here is terrific. Matches are tense, team play is incredibly nuanced, and its Mushroom Kingdom cast shows more character than ever. Hopefully, a steady DLC rollout can liven the experience up over time, but Nintendo has yet to prove that it knows how to score with long-term support.

Kao the Kangaroo might not be the most innovative, difficult, or narratively satisfying platformer out there, but this game still nails the basics. As such, any fan of modern 3D platformers will find a lot to enjoy with this reboot of Kao the Kangaroo and maybe even be inspired to check out the forgotten classics Kao starred in.

Sniper Elite 5 is an increasingly rare WWII game that actually does something new with the conflict. While its story has nothing new to say and its commitment to history can be a burden on its creative potential, its open-ended missions make for a devilishly enjoyable stealth action game. Its excessive violence can be a little hard to stomach, even for the most hardened gamers, but you can’t have a guilty pleasure without a heaping helping of self-indulgence.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker is an intricate anti-puzzle game that delivers a searing commentary on corporate abuse.

Vampire: The Masquerade -- Swansong is an intricate narrative adventure game that can be too dense for its own good at times.

Hiroki's journey and his own always-spoken-aloud thoughts are what really hooked me into Trek to Yomi. The more choices I made for the samurai, the more I wanted to see how he would turn out by the game's end. It's not something I expected from the game, and it certainly doesn't redeem all of its negative traits, but Trek to Yomi's story is good enough to be more than something pushing players along.

Nintendo Switch Sports is exactly what it needs to be. It’s an intuitive package of Wii-era sports minigames with more precise motion controls and full online integration. Addictive activities like bowling and badminton make it one of the Switch’s best multiplayer party games, though overly complicated minigames like soccer miss the simple appeal of the series. With long-term support planned, I’m hopeful that Nintendo can build up the currently thin offering and turn it into the kind of console staple that any Switch owner needs to have installed.

Moss: Book 2 is a confident VR sequel that iterates on its predecessor just enough to make it feel new again.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the most engaging Lego game in years, thanks to its deeper gameplay and all of the faithfully recreated Star Wars locales that players can explore. But like the protagonists of each Star Wars trilogy, The Skywalker Saga has an identity crisis. It always feels divided between being an accurate retelling of the Star Wars series and an ambitious galactic sandbox where players can go anywhere as anyone.

While it has its quirks, Weird West is a bit of storytelling spectacle that seems to have been hand-crafted for diehard RPG fans.

While it has its quirks, Weird West is a bit of storytelling spectacle that seems to have been hand-crafted for diehard RPG fans.

“Endearing” is the best way to describe Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. It constantly laughs at itself and wants you to smile and laugh along with it, and most of the time, I did. Borderlands fans and tabletop game enthusiasts in particular will find a lot to love here. Even if you’re not a longtime fan, there really is something for everyone to enjoy in Tina’s latest adventure.

Even with its repetitive late game, I still enjoyed just about every second of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. In the game’s opening sequence, Kirby swallows a car and rides down a highway as a pop tune plays. In one shot, he’s cruising against the clear blue sky as some seagulls fly by his window. That’s how I felt whenever I booted it up: Head empty, soaking in the sunshine, not a care in the world.

Rune Factory 5 should satisfy fans and cozy game enthusiasts, but its not quite as friendly for newcomers.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is at its best when it's reimagining Japanese folklore in visually astonishing ways and delivering moving visualizations of what it’s like to pass on. It’s less compelling as a checkbox-driven open-world game, with limited content stretched too thin across its apocalyptic version of Shibuya.

Tunic desperately tries to recreate the magic of classic Legend of Zelda games, all too often doing so to a fault. It tries to be hands-off and instead leaves the player with no idea of where to go. It wants to have simple combat, akin to something like the Zelda Oracle games, but that approach gets stale incredibly fast here. More than anything though, Tunic left me feeling lost in its mysteries, which I didn’t want to solve out of need or drive, but because I couldn’t bear them anymore.

Final Fantasy Origin will enthrall players with its dumb, but awesome story and approachable Soulslike gameplay.

WWE 2K22 is a robust wrestling simulator that gets the series back on track after its nearly career-ending 2020 installment. It’s filled with modes, impressive combat tweaks, and a truly phenomenal creative suite that turn it into a hoss of a game. There’s still work to do if 2K Sports wants to fully rehabilitate the series. Multi-man matches need a rework, its more promising modes need to be expanded, and there’s still plenty of gunk to clean up. But if this is how much an annualized series can turn itself around by taking one year off, then every franchise like it should consider an offseason.

Triangle Strategy delivers smart tactics, but battles play second fiddle to its dull political lore.

Gran Turismo 7 is a comprehensive racing simulator with features that will please series fans, those looking to learn about cars, and people who just want to race casually. While this simulator is more focused on making the player feel elegant rather than exhilarated, it sticks to its vision and highlights the power of the PS5.

Grid Legends' Driven to Glory story misses more than it hits, but this is an otherwise solid, if unambitious, racing game.

Elden Ring is a new gold standard for open-world game design, dishing out some of the best freeform exploration since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Curiosity is rewarded at every turn and secrets truly feel secret. For Souls veterans, the number of tools available adds a new level of depth to its combat that makes constant experimentation worthwhile. Even with those strengths, it’s hard to outright ignore the ugly quirks in FromSoftware’s games, which stick out even more on new tech. A stubbornness to fix archaic issues holds back what should be a once-in-a-generation game, but Elden Ring is still a landmark accomplishment in any case.